Wikipedia

Laurin McCracken

Laurin McCracken (born 12 November 1942 in Meridian, Mississippi) is an American watercolor painter known for his photorealistic still lifes, florals, landscapes and other subjects.[1]

Biography

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Fruit, Crystal & Chinese Porcelain

McCracken earned a B.A. in Art and Architecture from Rice University. He also graduated from Princeton University with a Master's in Architecture and Urban Planning.[2] For forty years, McCracken worked as an architect and the head of marketing for several of the nation's leading architectural and engineering firms.[3] McCracken took his first watercolor classes in 1999 with Gwen Bragg at The Art League in Alexandria, Virginia.[4]

 
Three Magnolias with Silver

He also studied under Alain Gavin, a professor at The Art Institute of Chicago.[4][5] McCracken retired and began painting full-time. He lives and works in Fort Worth, Texas.[6]

 
Underwood
 
Lady Churchill Cigars

Style and influences

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McCracken is influenced by the Flemish Baroque school of still life where meticulous attention is paid to detail. These works of art are centered around compositions of flowers, eating utensils in the style and manner of the ontbijtje of "little breakfast", while these Flemish works were of a style of Vanitas,[7] McCraken's work is not philosophical in the sense that the subject is meant to communicate the transience of life or ephemeral nature of existence. McCracken's work is tied more closely to the more current photorealism school with a subject matter or influence of the Flemish Baroque period. Stylistically, McCraken's work also reflects the Flemish Baroque characteristic of lighting the subject matter from the left against a dark background. [8] Unlike the Flemish school, McCracken accomplishes his work in watercolor with a technique and quality that rivals the original medium of oil.

Memberships

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McCracken has earned signature status in more than a dozen watercolor societies, including the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society,[9] Transparent Watercolor Society of America, Southern Watercolor Society, Society of Watercolor Artists, Tennessee Watercolor Society,[10] Watercolor West, and the Watercolor USA Honor Society. He is also an Elected Member of the Allied Artists of America, Inc.[11]

Recognitions and awards

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  • Hardie Gramatky Memorial Award - The 137th Annual International Exhibition of the American Watercolor Society (2004)[12]
  • Totally Transparent Watercolor Award "Best of Show" - The 29th Annual Juried Exhibition of the Tennessee Watercolor Society (2004)[13]
  • Board of Directors Award - Watercolor Missouri National (2009)[14]
  • First Place - The 29th Annual Juried Exhibition of The Society of Watercolor Artists, Inc. (2010)[15]
  • The Kent Day Coes Memorial Award - The Allied Artists of America, Inc. (2010)[16]
  • Totally Transparent and Region III Award - Tennessee Watercolor Society 33rd Exhibition (2012)[17]
  • Finalist in Still Life Category - Art Renewal Center's International 2012/2013 ARC Salon[18]
  • First Prize - Professional Artist Magazine (2013)[19]


Juried Shows

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  • Beijing International Art Biennale 2011, 2013, 2015[20]
  • Shenzhen International Watercolor Biennial, 2013, 2015
  • Shanghai Zhoujiajiao International Watercolor Biennial Exhibition 2010 & 2012
  • World Watermedia Exhibition 2014, Thailand
  • Eau en Coleurs 2014, International Watercolour Biennial, Belgium
  • Qingdao International Watercolour Salon, China 2014[21]
  • International Watercolor Convention, Fabriano, Italy, 2014
  • Masters of Watercolour, St. Petersburg, Russia, 2015[22]
  • Malaysian Watercolour International Exhibition, 2014-2015
  • China/NWS Small Image Exchange Exhibition, 2015-2016
  • AWS 149th Annual International Exhibition, New York City, 2016[23]

Museum Collections and Shows

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Selected publications

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  • A Celebration of Light, 2007, Jane Freeman, North Light Books[29]
  • Masters of Realistic Imagery, 2012 - Art Domain, Leipzig, Germany

Further reading

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References

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  1. ^ dmatriccino (11 April 2011). "Perspective Illustrations by Laurin McCracken - Artist's Network". The Artist's Magazine. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  2. ^ Koeppel, Frederic (October 8, 2004). "McCracken's vision of still life is a-changing". The Commercial Appeal. p. 33.
  3. ^ Taylor, Amy (January 2011). "Real Life Reflections with Laurin McCracken" (PDF). Delta Magazine. 8 (4): 33–34.
  4. ^ a b Fauntleroy, Gussie (November 17, 2010). "Laurin McCracken: Catching the Light". Southwest Art.
  5. ^ Doherty, M. Stephen (Fall 2004). "Inspired by Dutch and Flemish Still Lifes". Watercolor Magazine: 36–46.
  6. ^ Taute, Michelle (August 2009). "Inside the Artist's Studio" (PDF). Watercolor Artist: 66. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  7. ^ "Vanitas – Art Term".
  8. ^
     
    Osias Beert, Still life with oysters, c. 1610. Staatsgalerie Stuttgart. Beert's still lifes are typical of the "breakfast" type painted early in the 17th century.
     
  9. ^ "Member public profile". National Watercolor Society. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  10. ^ "Tennessee Watercolor Society » Laurin McCracken". Tnws.org. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  11. ^ "Elected Members". Allied Artists of America. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  12. ^ One Hundred Thirty Seventh International Exhibition, exhibition catalog. New York, NY: American Watercolor Society. 2004. p. 32.
  13. ^ Twenty-Ninth Exhibition, exhibition catalog. Jackson, TN: Tennessee Watercolor Society. 2004. p. 6.
  14. ^ "Watercolor Missouri National 2009" (PDF). Watercolor Studio. 5 (1). Missouri Watercolor Society: 4. 2009. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  15. ^ Grant, George, ed. (September 2010). "SWA Notables" (PDF). Visual Interest. 58. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  16. ^ 9th Annual Exhibition, exhibition catalog. New York, NY: Allied Artists of America, Inc. 2010.
  17. ^ "Tennessee Watercolor Society". Award Winners Gallery. April 3, 2016.
  18. ^ "Finalists in the Still life Category". Art Renewal Center. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  19. ^ Andreasson, Jenny (April 3, 2016). "Professional Artist". Professional Artist.
  20. ^ Haas, Cherie Dawn (13 November 2012). "Laurin McCracken, Beijing International Art Biennale". The Artist's Magazine. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  21. ^ "November 2014: Norma Bourdeaux and Laurin McCracken". Southside Gallery. November 6, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  22. ^ Sterkhov, Konstantin (March 16, 2015). "The Art of Watercolor's article". Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  23. ^ "2016-2017 Exhibitors". AmericanWatercolorSociety.org. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  24. ^ "Contemporary American Realism: 2008 Biennal" (PDF). FWMOA.org. Fall 2008. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  25. ^ "Spartanburg Art Museum to Host Contemporary Still Life Painting Invitational 2012". Spartanburg.com. 2011. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  26. ^ Thornton, William (5 September 2013). "Watercolors of Laurin McCracken, sculptures of James Mellick at Hardin Center (photos)". The Birmingham News. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  27. ^ "Art Gallery to Showcase Realism". Delta State University. January 16, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  28. ^ Carlson, Jeffrey. "Laurin McCracken: Mastery in Watercolor". FineArtConnoisseur.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  29. ^ "On Our Cover" (PDF). Watercolor Studio. 7 (2). Summer 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
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